Electric motor compressor



Sept. l1, 1934. w E. SHORE l1,973,019

ELECTRIC MOTOR COMPRESSOR l Filed May 22. 1955 sweets-sheet 1 Sept. 11, 1934.* w E, SHORE 1,973,019

ELECTRIC MOTOR COMPRESSOR l FileaMy 22,1955 v 5 sheets-sheet 2 Sep. 1l, v1934. l w., E SHORE 1,973,019

ELECTRIC MO TOR COMPRESSOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 'I5 FiledMay 22, 195s Leraars intaccare More @ossea E. ShorelSn Application May z2, i933, Y-

2:13111; N- Yo' The principal objects -of this inventionare l to provide a -compact unitary mechanism for producing uid pressure or vacua in which the operating compressingelements are incorporated in vand completely enclosed within theelectric motor structure in sucli a manner as to eie'ctively seal .the uids or gases being used from leakage to atmosphere. Y

A further object is to produce an apparatus which will operate without noise and, having a minimum of working parts, will operate for extremelylong periods'without requiring attention.

A still .further object. is to devise amotor 1,5 structure which, while having its operating parts completely enclosed, will however readily dissipate heat Agenerated in itsv fields by radiation.v

Y The principal features of the invention consist inl-the novel Vconstruction and1 arrangement of parts whereby the rotor of the motor device is utilized as a fluid impeller within'a sealed casing whereby a liquid agent is utilized `as a compressing element to'displace a secondary liquid or gas and thereby produce an eiective suc-V tion and discharge of the secondary element in either closed orv open uid circuits.

A further and important feature consists in the novel use of a liquid means as the electrical inductor element, either wholly or partially, in

30 an enclosed electrically-operated rotor and in utilizing such liquid element to perform the service of a'compre'ssing agent.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of my motor compressor taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2.

lFigure 2 is a part side elevation and half section of the device taken on the line 2-2 of 'Figure 1.

4 Figure 3 is apart end elevation and upper quarter section ofthe device taken on the line 3-3ofFigure4,

:Figure 4 is a part side elevation and half longitudinal section of the device taken on the line '4--4 of Figure 3. i

Figure 5 is a part side elevation and half longitudinal mid-section ofithe rotor removed from its casing.

Figure 6 is a part end elevation of the rotor showing quarter sections onvthe linev 6-6 'and Figure Vl is a part side elevatin and half longitudinal midsection of a modied form of rotor.

Figure 8 is a' part end elevation of the rotor tightly within the rings 10 provided with anges outer ends being sealed by the threaded caps -shownin Figure 'l showing quarter sections on the lines 8 8, 8'-8' and 8"-8"0f Figure 7.

' In the form of the inventionillustrated in the accompanying drawings, the base l supports a rigid cylindrical housing 2 in which is mounted 60 the circular stator eld laminations 3 which. are

'secured between the outer plates 4.

5 are the stator field windings arranged in the slots 6 formed in the laminations 3. These -windings are of the conventional type and may Ybe varied to suit whatever requirements may be element formed of the ring-shaped laminations 9 `which .are ground to fit and form a continuation to complete ther field laminations 3 in such a manner that the magnetic connections between them may .be considered complete. Y

The laminations 9 are held on veither Vside by the ring-shaped members 10.

` Cylindrical end closure members 11 are fitted 12 abutting thel outside of -the4 rings to which they are secured by suitable bolts.

A centrol boss 13 is arranged on each of the ymembers 11 and these are formed with cylindrical recesses housing the ball-bearings 14, the- A shaft lvcompletely enclosed between the cap members, is supported in the bearings 14. `V

A circular recessv 17 Ikformed in each of the.

members 11 contains 'a suitable felt packing to 95 .prevent the lubricant housed in the bearing ends from leaking through to the central por,- tion of the machine.

Each of the members 11 is provided with ,a '10o Ycircular recessl surrounding the shaft 16 and thisrecess is open to the central cavity of the device through the vnarrow clearance passage v it surrounding the shaft.

A circular' member 20 is rigidly secured upon A195 close' fit therewith. 1.10

into the transverse channels 25 and these slots A plurality of ring laminations 23 are mounted on the central portion of themember 20 to coincide with the laminations 9 and 3, and the outer perimeter of the ring laminations 23 t closely to the stationary laminations 9 but provide a running fit therewith, The laminations 23 are secured .upon the member 20 by rings 24 threaded thereon. These outer rings form a runningflt with the adjacent surfaces of the -recesses 18in the end members 11 and also with the inner perimeterof the metal rings l0.

The rotor thus formed is provided with a plurality4 of transverse channels 25 equally spaced circumferentially around the rotor and extending through the laminations 23 and into the end rings 24. The outer periphery of the rotor formed by the ring laminations 23 is slotted from end to end with slots 26 which cut are sloped in the direction of travel of the rotor. y

Radial ports 27 are bored through the flanges v2l and rings 24 ofthe rotor to intersect the ends of the channels 25, these ports communicating with the central chamber 28 of the rotor.

Each of the end members 11 is provided with a projection 29 which extends past 'the row of radial ports 27 on the inside of the flange of the rotor and the outer surface of the projection forms a sealing surface at both sides in a circumferential direction.

A recess 30 is provided in the face-of the projection 29 adjacent to the rotor flange, which communicates with the ports 27 and leads out-`- wardly through apassage 31 extending through the cylindrical closure members and forms the inlet for the fluid to be operated upon.

A passage 32, as illustrated in Figure 2, connects with a circular recess 18` surrounding the shaft at eachend and leads outwardly to the end closure members '11 and forms a discharge outlet. The outlet passages' 32 communicate with the central chamber 28 in the rotor through the medium of the clearance passages 19 and circular recesses 18, so that any fluid pressure existing in the central chamber will flow to the discharge passages. The inlet passages communicate only with the central recesses 30 in the projections 29, consequently the gases entering the inlet find communication with the interior of the rotor chamber only through the ports 27 as -they pass over the inlet recesses 30.

The inner periphery of the cylindrical member formed by the laminations 9 Aand rings 10 is cut away eccentrically at one side forming a crescent-shaped chamber 33. One end of this `crescent-shaped chamber is substantially in radial alignment with one end of the inlet recess 30 so that as each of the radial ports 27 moves' cent-shaped chamber vcontinues to a point. where the radial plorts 27 are still in communication f therewith Aafter the inner ends thereof have cleared the valving projection member 29.

When the structure thus described has lbeen assembled, a quantity of mercury is inserted through the inlet passage to flll'the depression or crescent chamber 33 vand all'of the transverse channels 25 and slots 26, except those in communication with the crescent chamber, when the rotor is in operation. The -proper quantity can of course be readily determined so that there will be onlysufiicient mercury to fill the depression or crescent chamber 33 so that the mercury .just touches the4 outer surface of the rotor at the neutral line X or substantially at the point of cut-off ofthe intake when the machine is in the application of power in the form'of electrical energy. electrical conduction occurs through the.

mercury standing in the transverse channels, and the circuit is completed through the mercury and the copperfrings 24.

The action of the magneto-motive force on the mercury causes the rotor to`pick up speed and the mercury, by the action of centrifugal force, commences to flow from the interior of the central chamber 28 and out through the radial ports 27 to the channels 25 and slots 26. This continues until all the mercury is revolving with the rotor which causes the completed mercury circuit to operate in the same manner as the ordinary squirrel-cage type of rotor.` does with the standard solid metal bars when the elds are first tested. v

It will be noted that the mercury forms a fluid seal around the periphery of the rotor and that when the transverse channels kand slots 26 in their progressive motion open communication with the chamber 33 the.V centrifugal action causes the mercury contained within the slots and channels to flow outwardly into the chamber 33. Slmultaneous with this outward move.- ment of the mercury, the inner ends of the ports 27 open communication with the intake passage and consequently a suction is created which draws in a gas or liquid which is to be operated upon.

Several of the ports 27"with their communicating passages becomeV progressively charged with the indrawn gas or fluid, and the continued rotation ofthe rotcr moving the ports 27 past the intake recess, become closed.

The further rotary movement of the rotor causesthe inner ends of the ports 27 to move past the projection429 and to open to the central chamber 28..

It will be noted that when the inner ends of the ports have cleared the central valving projection 29, the outer periphery of the crescentshaped chamber converges. This forces the mercury inwardly to gradually fill up the slots 26 and transverse channels 25 until, when the point of closure of the slots 26 by the cylindrical surface of the laminations 9 and rings 10 surrounding the rotor is reached, the `said transverse channels and slots will be filled with mercury and the liquid or gas which previously filled the space', will have been'discharged to the central l chamber 28.

'I'he very rapid movement of the rotor causes a continuoussuction of air or gas intothe intake passage and a continuous ydischarge under compression into the central chamber 28. The

pressure exerted is of course determined by the resistance to the discharge, but on account of the incompressible quality of the mercury a very positiveresult is achieved. A

It will be readilyr appreciated that'all compression taking place by reason of the forcing inward of the mercury at'the end-of the crescent chamber 33 to the progressively-travelling transverse channels 25 and slots 26, is lcompletely sealed. The mercury provides a seal at the perimeter of the rotor and also at the ends where the end surfaces of the rings 24 run in thecircular recesses 18, thus the huid which has been `compressed is sealed against escape around the perimeter of the rotor and it is therefore conilned to the central chamber 28.

From this description it will be understood that all the working surfaces. of the rotor are sealed vwith a film of mercury, consequently l@ there can be no leakage of gases or fluids through the mercury to the iield laminations or to any other exit except the discharge provided.

lt will of course be necessary to construct the cylindrical member formed by the metal laminations 9 and metal rings 10 so that it is gas and mercury-tight. The same also applies to the seal between the metal rings lo and the end closure members li. The lubricant for the 'bearings ci the rotor is enclosed within sealed cavities and there will be no tendency for the lubricant to leak past the felt packing rings ll because the central chamber 28 is continually under pressure when the machine is in operation.

The device herein described is a hermeticallysealed unit; there are no external mechanical connections between the motor and the driven member and there is no necessity for belts or gears. lt is capable of staging one step of compression to another for boosting pressure to a high degreel without dimculty of atmospheric leakage and it is also capable of producing a high vacuum and two or more of these units A may be connected to stage from one to another.\

Under these circumstances it will be readily appreciated that the device may be utilized for displacing poisonous gases or liquids with perfeet safety.

It maybe found desirable to amplif" the starting or operating torque of this device by the lprovision of copper inductors in the rotorreducing the rotor resistance so that it will actuate in a manner similar to a common squirrelcage rotor which will ensure the rotor turning 'upon its shaft without dependence upon the presence of the mercury so that'when the motor is stationary and the mercury has fallen to the bottom of the machine, induction takes place upon the turning on of the current through the copper inductors and the rotor thus will gain speed before the mercury has filled up all of the slots. This provision is importantv where a motor of a split phase type, or that which carries a starting winding, is used.

Figures '7 and 8 of the drawings illustrate a modification in the 'structure of the rotor to accomplishv this latter feature. In this structure the copper rings 34 are fitted tightly over the flanges 2l of the circular member 20 of the rotor and copper rods 35 extend through the rings' and through the transverse channel 25 in the laminated portion. The copper rods may be soldered or brazed or riveted securely in place.

The rods are placed in the transverse channel25 preferably to the forward side thereof in A the direction of rotation of therotor so thatthey will not interfere with the fr ee movement of the mercury and so that they will not obstruct the freeow of the mercury in the radial ports 27. l I

The arrangement of these copper rods assists materially in the starting of the motor, therefore ensuring the rapid assumption of the maximum speed to cause the centrifugal flowing of '9 surrounding the rotor be of a sensibly eleccage rotor.

the mercury through the radial channels or ports to dll the slots and transverse channels.

It is desirable in the construction of this device that therings 10 enclosing' the lamlnations trically non-conductingmaterial.l A material of high resistance may be found more desirable on Y account of the requirement for strength, it being only necessary that this enclosing casing surrounding' the rotor "is both air and liquid tight.

The use of mercury as the compressing element is very desirable as it is of high speciiic gravity and will .continue the velocity imparted to it by the rotation of the rotor through the crescent-shaped chamber 33 and it will therefore act with remarkable efliciency in compressing a lighter fluid or gases, and as it is an electrical conductor of exceptional value, it performs the service of the induction element of a squirrelg5 With the form of rotor shown in Figures 7 and 8 it may be possible to utilize a diierent fluid from mercury which might be detrimental to the use of the device for certain gases or liquids.

What I claim as my invention is:- lil@ l. An electric motor compressor having a motor rotor acting as an impeller, said vrotor having a.V primary fluid associated therewith, .a casing surrounding said motor rotor and co-operating therewith and with said primary fluid medium to retain the fluid medium in variable co-operating contact with said motor rotor and Ycasingand means for directing a secondary fluid into the zone of operation of the impeller to be acted upon by the primary fluid medium.

2. An electric motor compressor, comprising an induction motor having itsV rotor enclosed within a uid tightcasing and formed with uid passages, means fordirecting a iuid to be compressed into the said passages, fluid means carried by said rotor for compressing a lighteruid, and means for discharging the compressed uid.

3. An ,electric motor compressor, comprising a stationary'iield Vstructure having a sealed liquid tight chamber,y a rotor 'of the squirrel cage type rotatably mounted Within said sealed chamber and having impeller formations containing a iluid compressing agent, means for directing thev liquid compressing agent into compressing relation withssaid impeller structure, means 'for 125 directing a secondary uid into said impeller structure to be compressed and means for -directing the compressed iuid from said impeller structure. I

4. An electric motor compressor, comprising 139 a stationary field structure having a liquid tight cylindrical chamber formed `with an eccentric recess at one side thereof, a cylindrical rotor journalled in said cylindrical recess and formvnl ing a running llt therein, a plurality of recesses Aa running t therein, al plurality of recesses extending through the periplery of said rotor, aV liquid occupying the recesses in said rotor and 15D lil forming aliquid seal between the rotor and its enclosing casing. said liquid being an electrical conductor and forming an inductance element of said rotor, `means for directing a fluid to be compressed into the openings in said rotor, and means for directing the compressed fluid from the rotor.

6. An electric motor compressor, comprising a circular field structure having a hollow cylindrical central portion closed at the ends, a shaft mounted in bearings centrally of said cylindrical portion of the field structure and sealed therewithin, a rotor mounted on said shaft having a-plurality of parallelly arranged longitudinal peripheral recesses, means sealing the ends of said rotor, ports extending through the rotor communicating with said recesses, valving means cofoperating with said ports in the rotation of the rotor, fluid nfeansiilling said recesses inthe rotation of the rotor and sealing its perimeter, an inlet port communicating with said valving means, andan outlet port leading from the centre ofthe rotor.

u '1. An electric motor compressor, comprising a circular ileld structure, a cylindrical member forming a continuation of the field structure and rigidly secured therein having a' central laminated portion' and closed endsysaid closed ends each having annular channels, bearings sealed within said enclosed ends, a shaftmountved in said bearings, a rotor `mounted on said' shaft having flanges extending into the annular recesses-in said end closures, copper rings mounted on said rotor flanges at the ends, annular laminations arranged between said copper rings, ports extending -radially through said flanges `and rings, longitudinal recesseshavingports at opposite ends of said rotor. Stationary valving members extending fromthe end members of the cylindrical field portion and'forming valving elements covering'a group of the radial ports in the rotor, said valving members having inlet passages, outlet passages leading from the cy` lindrical field memberbeyond the valving members, an'eccentric cavity formed in the wall of the stationary cylindrical portion opening to the ports of the rotor passing the inlet passage and also communicating with ports of the rotor beyond the valving members, and a liquid compressing agent fllling the longitudinal recesses in the rotor and forming a liquid seal.

8. 'An electric motor compressor, comprising a field structure having a cylindrical portion enclosing a sealed chamber, said chamber having an eccentricenlargement extending from end to endthereof, a hollow rotor journalled within said sealed chamber and having a plurality of longitudinally arranged and parallelly disposed peripheral cavities, ports extending radially inward from said cavities, a fluid electrical conductor centrifugally retained in said cavities and forming the inductors of the rotor, means provided inthe cylindrical portion of the casing for evacuating the conductor uid successively from said cavities, means for effecting the return of said evacuated fluid to said cavities during the rotation of the rotor, means for directing a lighter -iluid into the evacuated cavities, means for entrapping the `lighter fluid in said cavities, and means for discharging the lighter huid under -pressure from said cavities in therotative i':nove.l

ment of the rotor.

9. An electric motor compressor, comprising a 'lcylindical field vstructure enclosing a sealed chamber, a rotor journalled within said sealed i peripheral inlets, and an exhaust port connected with the chamber having a plurality of parallelly arranged cavities .extending longitudinallyv thereof, metallic inductors arranged within said longitudinal cavities in said rotor, a non-compressible fluid arranged within said cylindrical chamber and adapted to fill said rotor cavities during the rotation of the rotor, means arranged in the wall of the cylindrical chamber external to the rotor for effecting the evacuation of the non-compressible liquid from said cavities successively and to eiiect the return of said liquid progressively following the evacuation, ports leading from said cavities in the rotor, valving means connecting said ports progressively with the intake during the evacuation period, then closing same and `then -opening same during the fluid return period.

10.1An electric motor' compressor, comprisingv a base, a circular frame, an annular laminated structure within said circular frame, field coils Amounted in said laminated structure, a lam- .bearings arranged within said end cavities, aA

shaft journalled in said bearings and extending through the centre of the cylinder structure, a

rotor secured tosaid shaft and having a flanged v perimeter, annular laminations mounted centrally on the perimeter of said rotor, copper rings arranged at the ends of said laminations and rigidly mounted'on the flanges of the rotor, ra-

dial ports spaced equidistan. extending through the flanges and said copper rings, horizontal cavities extending longitudinally of the rotor and communicating individually with the` ports at each end thereof, said cavities opening outwardly through the perimeters of the rings and laminations, vend recesses in 'the cylinder-closures receiving the edges of the flanges and the copper rings of vthe rotor and forming' a sealing surface therewith, a compressing liquid filling said rotor cavities and forming a liquid seal around -the perimeter and the ends of the rotor, an eccentric. 'cavity formed in the inner periphery of the cy lindrical field member, projections from theA inward sides of the end members extending over r the inner peripheries of the rotor flanges and covering progressively a series of the radial ports therein, inlet passages leading through said ex` tensions to communicate with the rotor ports as said ports move into communication with the eccentric recess', said eccentric recess extending beyond the rigid extensions and directing the fluidl evacuated from `the rotor recesses back into said recesses to compress the fluid drawn through the interior of the rotor.

11. An electric motor compressor having a motor rotor, means co-operating with the rotor of the motor for circulating a primary fluid in a closed cyclel about the rotor axis, said means permitting a local centrifugal displacement of the primary fluid ,during each revolution, and means for utilizing the local centrifugal displacement of the primary fluid t displace a secondary iiuid.` y

12. An electric motor compressor having amotor rotor, means co-operating with the rotor of x the motor for'circulatinga primary Iluid in a closed cycle about the rotor axis, means in the path*l of travel of the primary fluid to permit the same-to locally recede from and return toward 15C the periphery of the motor rotor during each revolution thereof, and means for utilizing the return movement of the primary uid to comductors; means forming with said motor andv its displaceable 'inductors low and high pressure chambers, and means for conducting a secondary fluid to and from said low and high pressure chambers.

16. An electric motor displacement device having a hollow rotor formed with peripheral cavities leading to the rotor interior, a uid medium actuated by the rotation of said rotor to recede froml and return to said peripheral cavities, means' co-operating `with said displaced uid and with said rotor and sub-dividing the interior of the latter into low and high pressure areas,

and means for conducting a secondary uid and high pressure areas.

to and from said 19W WILLIAM E. SHORE.

las 

